We went to see the gastroenterologist today. Even tho the surgery is only 8 days away, they want to do this procedure that inserts a stent into the bile duct so that all those juices are not getting all backed up into John's liver. I don't remember the name of the procedure now, but it's a long name and the Dr said he was putting a 7 centimeter straw in there. John thinks he's going to pick it up from the cafeteria on his way to the OR.
We are going to be at Walnut Creek Kaiser at 11:30 am and they expect him to be there for 4-6 hours. He'll be off work for the rest of the day, but he expects to be back at work on Wednesday. Don't try to stop him either, cuz he'll go if he wants to, no matter what anyone says about it.
One of the things causing anxiety in John is that he's never had any kind of surgery before and I think the anesthesia kind of freaks him out a little. He gets a little preview of that tomorrow, so maybe that's one thing that he won't worry about so much for the following 7 days.
The Dr says that the itching he feels and that keeps him awake at nite now, will start to subside a little bit each day. Hopefully, he'll get more comfortable with food and maybe even he can gain a couple of pounds before the surgery. The man has no ass whatsoever at the moment and he needs one.
I'll write more about all of that stuff when we get home tomorrow, but I wanted to first say how thankful we are for the grassroots community who have stepped forward so generously to help us thru this scary time. We feel so much love from everyone and the Daily Kos post that Babaloo put up today was a little like This Is Your Life for me. So many good friends and so many friends that I haven't even met yet. There is nothing like the living proof that progressives really put their love and money where there philosophies are. We really ARE all in this together and it's so great to feel that connectedness with the world and the people in it. This day has restored some of my lost faith in humanity in a BIG WAY.
Thank you all for being there for me and for John. I know he has some stuff he wants to say too, so I won't steal all of his thunder, but THANK YOU!
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2 comments:
I'm glad to hear that they will be placing the stent in so that you can get some relief. As far as anesthesia, I've had it ALL. Since they are only keeping you a short time, it sounds like you'll be getting minimal anesthesia, and won't put you all the way under. If so, you feel great while going to sleep and wake up quickly and gently afterwards. Tell your anesthesiologist about your concerns tho. They're usually good about making you feel comfortable and more at ease. Take care.
Judy Hahn
Thank you Judy. I know you've been thru it all and know what you're talking about.
We're feeling good about this procedure today and we're anxious to get the Whipple behind us.
I hope you and yours are well.
Love, Vicki
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